All that time, Jack kept looking at Riley, at the laughter in his hazel eyes and the way he kept running his fingers through his blond hair. Riley looked older than when they first met; the young man Jack had fallen in love with had matured, same as him. He was gorgeous: thick lashes framing his eyes and his lips generous and ready to be kissed. He was beautiful, and he could have been an actor or a model. Instead he’d chosen to be Jack’s husband.

And that was exactly right for them.

They picked up a giggling, happy Hayley and watched as Cory placed a small kiss on her cheek. The teenagers hugged a little, although it was slightly awkward.

They were home by ten, and Hayley, plus her phone, went straight to her room.

But not before she’d laid one hell of a bombshell on them.

“So what did you and Cory… do?” Jack couldn’t think of another way to phrase it.

“Danced a lot,” she said. “I was so thirsty, because it was hot, and he got me all my drinks.”

“That sounds good,” Riley offered.

“It was, but we didn’t kiss or anything, so you can stop worrying.”

“Oh?” Jack felt suddenly defensive; didn’t Cory like Hayley? Jack wasn’t stupid, he realized what his weird daddy-brain had done. He didn’t want kissing, but the thought of Hayley not getting a kiss was like an affront to his innate “daddiness.”

“Of course not, Pappa. I said he doesn’t think he likes girls—he likes boys. Anyway, I told him I’m marrying Logan.”

Then she left, and Jack and Riley stood there in silent shock. Until abruptly Riley snorted his coffee all over the table and they fell about laughing. Well, laughing as quietly as they could, only stopping when Carol came in with a fractious Lexie in her arms. Riley took Lexie immediately while Carol warmed a bottle. Lexie and Connor were coming up for eighteen months and usually slept through the night now. Well, mostly.

Jack held out his hands. He needed a Lexie hug. Riley didn’t argue, passing their daughter to him and rising to make coffee.

Jack rocked Lexie, then gave her the bottle when it was warmed through. He inhaled the scent of Lexie: all baby powder and cute. He hummed as she drank and promised Carol that he and Riley would put her back in her crib.

When it was the two of them, in their room, with Riley trailing kisses across Jack’s chest, Jack finally relaxed.

One day Hayley would be leaving them, then the twins, and someday maybe even Max. But for now everyone was here under this roof, and Jack could look after them all. And that was exactly what he wanted—and needed.

He flipped them so that he was straddling Riley, looking down at this beautiful man who held his heart, and thanking the heavens that he was here.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“You too,” Riley said back. “Now, how about showing me?”

So Jack did.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Riley reached for his cell, prodding the screen randomly until the ringing stopped. He and Jack had been talking about the Valentine’s dance until all hours. Well, that and making love, and Riley was on his way to exhausted.

“Izit?” Jack murmured from his side. He didn’t sound completely awake and the soft snore added punctuation to the sleepy question.

Riley checked Jack’s phone—just after four in the morning—and Josh’s number showed as a missed call.

“S’missed call,” he murmured.

Jack rolled over and they became entangled in covers. Finally Jack had his cell. He stared at it blearily for a few seconds, but Riley was wide awake now and decided to take over calling the missed number.

“Josh, it’s Riley,” he said immediately.

“Riley, sorry to wake you. I’ve had to take Anna to the hospital.”

Riley sat upright and passed the phone to Jack. “Anna’s in the hospital,” he managed to explain.

Jack took the phone immediately, abruptly wide awake himself. Riley couldn’t hear the other end of the call and waited impatiently while listening to Jack.

“Josh. … Okay. … No, I’m coming. … Okay. … She’s what? … An hour. … Bye.” Jack’s expression alternated between shocked and determined, and when he ended the call, Riley didn’t hesitate; he rolled up and off the bed with Jack.

“What happened?”

“Anna’s at Mercy. She’s pregnant, but she’s bleeding.”

Riley continued to get dressed. “What does that mean?”

Jack shook his head, “Josh didn’t say.”

“Did you know she was pregnant?” Riley cursed as he fumbled at the buttons on his jeans. Finally he gave up, not caring if the button was in the right hole or not.

“No. I guess it’s early on.”

“Fuck, go in, will you….” A button caught on his shirt, and he ripped the material from it.

Jack placed a hand on his. “Slow down, Riley.”

Riley looked directly into blue eyes. “Why are you so calm?” He knew he wouldn’t be if he’d had a call about Eden being in the hospital at ass o’clock.

“Because Josh is calm.” Jack shrugged. “Inside I’m worried to hell, but I have to work hard now to keep my in-control game face on. Now, I’ll get the car. You tell Carol.”

Riley grabbed phone and wallet and went straight to the door that led to Carol’s apartment. She answered almost immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

“Anna. I don’t know.”

Carol pulled her gown around her. “We’ll be okay. Go.”

Jack already had the car started. Riley buckled up as they took the road off the D.

Jack mostly drove in silence, and all the way to the hospital, Riley played back the words: Anna was in the hospital, something about a baby and bleeding. The only indication that his stoic husband was worried was the white knuckles where he gripped the steering wheel tight.

“Everything will be okay,” Riley said. He wasn’t entirely sure who he was reassuring, himself or Jack. He placed a hand on Jack’s arm and squeezed.

“I just want to get there,” Jack replied. Seemed that was all Jack was going to give in the way of worry.

The ER was quiet, eerily quiet, but Jack spotted Josh standing at the far end. He was pacing outside a closed door, and he jumped a mile as Jack nearly barreled into him. They hugged really tight, Jack murmuring words into Josh’s ear.

“What happened?” Riley said.

Josh, his eyes wide, his face pale, stared at Riley. “She was bleeding heavily and had this awful pain, and she got up to go the bathroom, and she fainted.”

“Will she be okay?”

Josh shook his head. “They…. The baby, Jack.”

Riley wanted to know it all, every second of what his sister-in-law was going through, but all he could see was the panic and the fear in Josh. Jack needed to be the strong one for his brother, but seeing the two brothers together, they were a hell of a lot more put together than Riley felt.

“Did you phone Mom?” Jack asked.

“Straight after you,” Josh said.

“And Beth?”

“Her too. Steve answered. She’s only just fallen asleep. Cam had a restless night so far, so I told him not to wake her.” He looked at Jack like he was asking for approval.

“That’s for the best,” Jack answered.

Josh looked relieved. The two brothers looked after Beth, worried about her, protected her, and Riley imagined that would never stop.

“They won’t tell me anything,” Josh said.

Riley paced a little then sat in one of the seats opposite, wriggling to get his large frame comfortable in the bright orange chairs.

“Not even what this could be?” Jack asked.

Josh shook his head. “They said it could be an ectopic pregnancy.” He hunched over a little, saying the words clearly hurt.

Riley recalled everything about ectopic pregnancy from his baby books when their surrogate, Rebecca, had been pregnant. Another one of those things on the list to look out for and to worry about—the fertilized egg implanted somewhere other than the uterus. What he remembered in graphic detail was that this kind of problem could be life-threatening. He couldn’t consider that now; he had to focus on the fact his sister-in-law was in the hospital and that everything had to be okay.